4 Watches Every Man Needs In His Life

Since we all own smartphones now, watches have become a pretty disposable piece of kit. Outside a small number of occupations (pilot, diver, watchman...) they now serve mainly as accessories for a well thought out look. Trend watches like weird colors or super XL faces might seem cool, but according to stylist Meg Manzano, “if you're looking at an oversized watch as a means to compensate for the littler things in your life, don't. Always opt for a piece that is proportional to your wrist—not your ego.”

So unless you want to be garish, it’s best to focus on these four essential and traditional looks instead.

NATO STRAP

The budget-friendly choice since you can buy a lot of extra straps and swap them out whenever you like. You can do it yourself if you have any semblance of hand dexterity, don’t worry.

Provides a color pop that’s subtle but effective. Get a plain colored watch face to balance it out.

A must-have is a tricolor band like this vintage Rolex Air King.

GOLD

Goes well with a certain look aka gold chains, boots, and a return ticket from Saudi.

Seriously, you’ll need a very dressed-up outfit to pair it with in general. Think suits and dress shirts.

For a daily gold watch that isn’t too ostentatious, get something like a Casio instead of a fancier model. High end color, but low key material.

MORE FROM FHM.COM.PH

SILVER

A true daily driver, it goes well with any outfit except an all-silver look maybe.

The more “complications” (extra hands, calendars, moon gauges, LED lights) the less it becomes an everyday thing.

For best results, you can’t go wrong with a sports watch like the TAG Heuer Formula 1 for example.

LEATHER

Great for the shorts and button down look

Not so great in our jabar weather

You match your leather belt to your leather shoes, and that’s still a nice tip (but not hard rule) but does the watch follow as well? Nope, let’s not be that anal about things.

Black is good too, but we like brown leather like on this clean Lacoste number.

TIP: Shirt cuffs and your watch

The priority here is your shirt cuff’s fit on your wrist—the proper length also needs a properly narrow opening to give the entire sleeve a good fit. If your watch is too bulky to fit in that little zone of exposed skin then you need to go for a slimmer, dressier watch.